ISRAEL IS UNDERSTOOD to be impeding the entry of a converted popemobile intended to care for Gaza children into the region.
In 2014, Pope Francis made a papal journey to the Middle East and at one point made an unscheduled stop to pray before the Israeli separation wall in Bethlehem, surrounded by a group of young Palestinians.
In his memoir, Hope, Francis said that the unplanned stop “caused a few security worries”.
The popemobile that Francis used for this papal journey, which was donated by President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority and later given to Palestinian Franciscan friars, has since been converted into a mobile health station for the children in Gaza.
Francis used several different popemobiles during his papacy and the Vatican decides upon a popemobile based on the level of security needed, distance and speed of travel, and the pope’s personal preferences.
Caritas, the charity of the Catholic Church worldwide and the second-largest international humanitarian aid network in the world, said Francis immediately gave the initiative his blessing when it was presented to him.
The charity added that Francis blessed the endeavour and everyone involved in it.
Pope Leo XIV has also extended his blessing to the initiative and remarked that it “reflects the love and solidarity embodied in Pope Francis’ legacy”.
However, the converted popemobile is yet to be allowed entry to Gaza.
The mobile clinic is able to support up to 200 children a day and is equipped with rapid tests for infections, suture kits, syringes and needles, oxygen supplies, vaccines and a refrigerator for medicines.
Last month, Caritas presented the so-called ‘Vehicle of Hope’ at a press event in Bethlehem but it has yet to be granted access to Gaza by the Israeli authorities.
COGAT, the Israeli government agency responsible for coordinating the entry of aid into the enclave, has not yet provided a response to questions regarding the vehicle’s entry to Gaza.
A source with knowledge of Caritas’s work said they are hopeful that the popemobile will be allowed entry to Gaza when the second phase of the Gaza peace plan takes hold.
Earlier this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the second phase of the plan was close but that key issues, such as disarmament of Hamas, still need to be resolved.
A Caritas spokesperson told The Journal it is concerned about the children of Gaza and wants to do whatever it can to ensure that they receive proper healthcare, food and education.
From 9 October, 2023 until his death, Francis daily called Gaza’s only Catholic parish and would call several times a day when the bombing was at its most intense.
In his memoir, he described some of Israel’s actions in Gaza as “terrorism”.